Type-writing machine.



R. W. UHLIG. TYPE WRITING MACHINE, APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15, 190 9.

1,1 14,315. 'Patentd 0011-20, 1914.

Fig. 1.

M'TNESJEJI' [NVENTOl-T.

' B Attbr-ne W I J UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD w. UI-ILIG, or RUTHERFORD, NEW .IERsEY, AssIeNo 'ro UNnERwoon TYRE- wRI'rER coMrANY, or NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION or NEW JERsEY.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD W. UHLIG, a citizen of the United States, residing in Rutherford, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Type- IVriting Machines, of which the following is aespecification.

This invention relates to line-spacing mechanism for typewriters.

In the usual form. of awl-and-ratchet line-spacing mechanisms, t e unit of linespacing bears an aliquot relation to an en tire revolution of the platen, andby means of the usual regulator, the line-spacing may be increased to two or more times that unit,

- but always bearing an aliquot relation thereto. It sometimes occurs that the operator desires to arran e the lines of typewriting on a form, in which the intervals between the ruled lines (10 not correspond with the intervals obtainable by the. usual aliquot line-spacing mechanism and Which subtend equal arcs of the platen circumference. In .such a case, the operator feeds the platen and sheet by the usual knob fixed on the end of the platen axle; to bring each successive ruled line to the printing point. This is awkward, laborious and slow, and it frequently happens that the printed words will not be exactly on the ruled lines. To overcome this diiiiculty it has been proposed to employ a. friction clutch mechanism to secure even line-spacing at any interval desired; but the sheet to be written u on may have several divisions,.e'ach of w ich may contain ruled lines spaced a slightly greater or less distance than those in the other divisions, the intervals between the ruled lines in one division being thus aliquant relative to the intervals between the ruled lines of other divisions;

and in such a case resortmust behad again to the platen knob to adjust the paper.

It is one object of my invention to provide a line-spacing mechanism which will enable the operator to mechanically feed any portion of a blank form of this description through the machine so that the type written words will fall accurately on the. ruled lines, even though the intervals between the lines of one group occupy an aliquant relation to the intervals between the lines of an the g p,

time.

platen is determined by setting a regulating lever to any of a series of positions; and a detent and rack are provided for mechanically locating the regulating lever at the desired point and holding it there; the notches or teeth in the rack having preferably an aliquant relation. I provide the platen axle with a line-space wheel to be engaged by a clutching dog, to be actuated by a line-spacing lever of usual type. A stop is ad usta 1e to vary the throw of-the clutching dog, by means of the regulating lever.

Another object of the present improvements is to relieve the adjustable line-spacing clutch mechanism from undue stress and to prevent it from being forced by the handof the operator. This is accomplished by employing a permanent stop to. arrest the clutch mechanism at the completion of theIine-spacin'g' stroke, and by so locating such stop that the line-spacing lever shall engage the usual line-space lever abutment immediately upon such arrest of the clutch mechanism, thereby relieving the clutch -mec hanis-m from undue stress caused by the pressure of the operators hand on the linespacing lever. At the same time, the clutch dog is caused to. bite harder upon the platen-connected clutch wheel at the end of the line-spacing stroke, to prevent overthrow of the platen. The regulation of the line-spacing is effected by adjusting the stop which arrests the clutch mechanism upon its return stroke.

' Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear. a H In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view illustrating one embodiment of my invention applied to the Underwood type of front strike writing machine, the clutch mechanism being shown at rest, parts being omitted to better show the construc- Fig. 2' is a perspective view, the

' clutch being shown in operation. Fig. 3

strike writing machine The line-spacing lever drives a slide 5 against the tension of a spring 6, tooperate a line-spacing clutch mechanism. This mechanism includes a wheel l-faston' the axle 1,-and having a clutch flange or rim 13. A cooperating clutch .member comprises a carrier 11, swinging on the axle,.and having a clutching dog l0tpivoted thereto at 16, the dog having a pair of normally-disengaged jaws 12 for biting the clutch flange 13. 'The throw of the slide 5 is conveniently transmitted to the clutching dog by a link 7. By actuating the line-space lever 3, the slide 5 and its link 7 are driven rearwardly. The engagement of the link and pivoted clutching dog 10 operates, first, to relieve the dog from the tension of the returning spring 6 to permit a spring 19 to vibrate the dog and cause its jaws .to grip theclutch flange 13, after which, the carrier 11 and clutching dog 10, together with the wheel 14: and platen, are rotated or line-spaced. Upon the release of the line-s acing lever, the spring 6 will return the sllde with its link 7 to their original positions; the link operating, first, to rock the clutch dog to release it from the clutch flange 13 of the wheel 14, and then to return the dog and carrier to their inactive positions, the carrier swinging freely on the axle. The sprin 6 also overcomes the tensionof the clutching spring 1.9, and normally retains the dog in released position relative to the clutchin flange 13.

The throw of the clutching dog 10 and hence of the platen A is determined by an.

adjustable front stop 20 and a permanent rear stop 29, between which the dog swings.

'A link 21 connects the adjustable return stop 20 with a regulating lever 22,. carrying a detent 25 receivable in any of the notches of a rack 24, two or more of such notches bearing an' aliquant relation to one another, so that by throwing the adjusting lever to engage its detent with one or another of said notches, the stop 20 will be rotated together with the carrier and dog, to vary the stroke of the carrier and dog, so that the desired throw may be given the platen at the line-spacing o eration. The notches of the rack 24 ma 'e spaced to accord with the several kin s of line-space intervals on any form or any set of forms.

115 the ruled lines on one portion of the form should lie for instance at .125 of an that by correspondingly locating the notches in said rack, the mechanism may be instantly adjusted for either kind of linespacing, by merely shifting the regulating lever, with accurate results, and without the necessity of experimenting or other attention from the operator.

Obviously the number of notches on the rack may. be multiplied to 'afi'ord a larger number of graded adjustments of the linespacing intervals; and they may also be located at any chosen distances, to enable the ready and accurate line-spacing of any ruled form or forms. The lever 22 is provided with a handle 23, and the detent isalso equipped with a detent handle 28 for releasl ing the spring-pressed detent 25 from the rack. I prefer to adjust the front stop 20 to take up the throw of the clutching dog and-platen at the beginning of its maximum stroke rather than at the end of such stroke. There is enough yielding of the parts to cause the clutching dog to bite harder upon the wheel rim 13 at the end of its stroke to prevent overthrow, the stop 29 engaging the dog 10 below the pivot of the latter for this purpose. Said permanent stop 29 is placed so that the line-spacing lever 3 will vibrated by the arm 7 connected therewith to cause the jaws to bite on theflange;

Vibration of the clutching dog may be controlled by providing the dog with a stud 17 playing in an orifice 18 in the carrier. This limits the vibration of the dog by the returning sprin 6, and avoids the active engagement of t e dog and flange when the line-spacing mechanism is at rest.

It will thus be seen that there is rovided a line-space mechanism in which arge or small line-spaces maybe obtained to agree with corres onding distances between the lines of various printed forms by having an adjusting means acting to vary succeeding line-space adjustments bya predetermined irregular increment, so that certain of them have a fixed aliquant'relation.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: v I

1. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a revolving platen, of a linespacing mechanism for said platen, includin a clutch, means for actuating such clutch, means for limiting the extent of the line-space movement of the platen, comprising a fixed stop and an adjustable stop, and means arranged in ali'qua'ntrelation for determining the adjustment of the said adjustable stop.

2. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a rotatable platen, of a linesp'acing mechanism for said platen, including a clutch, means for actuating. said clutch, means for limiting the extent of the line-space movement of the platen, comprising a'fixed stop and adjustable means for determining the magnitude of the spacing movement by said line-space mechanism, such adjusting means having a plurality of stopping projections, certain next succeeding ones of which, projections are at predetermined distances aliquant with respect to each other,

3. In a typewriting machine, thecombination with a revoluble platen, and a line- -space wheel connected therewith, of a linespacing lever. an adjustable stop, for limiting theline-spacing throw of the wheel and plate-Ina lever linked to the stop, and means for mechanically retaining the'stop in dif-' ferent predetermined positions to regulate the extent of rotation of the platen,said retainingmeans includingaseries of stops or stations disposed at aliquan't intervals;

' {1. In a' typewriting machine, the combination with a rotatable platen, of a'li'ne spacing-mechanism for said platen, including a clutch, means for actuating said clutch, means for limiting the extent of the linespace movement of the platen, including 1 notched means for varying the magnitude -minedincrements between the notches inof the line-spacing movement by predetercommensurate with respect to each other.

5. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen and a frictional linespacing mechanism therefor,- of a shiftable stop controlling the line-spacing throw of the platen, a regulating lever connected with the stop for shifting the latter and a regu-. lating plate associated with the lever and having an aliquant arrangement of stations to'any one of which the lever may be thrown to efi'ect a variation in the line-spacingro: tation of the platen.

6. In a tvpewriting machine, the combination with a platen, of a line spacing fries tion clutch mechanism therefor, including a line-spacing lever, a shiftable stop for controlling the fine-spacing rotation of the platen, a lever connected with the stop for shifting the latter, and a series of positions to which the last recited lever may be thrown to permit line-spacing rotations of the platen; said stations arranged at aliquant intervals.

7. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen, of a line-spacing clutch mechanism therefor, including a linespacing lever, a shiftable stop for controlling theline-spacing rotation of the platen,

'a finger-piece connected with the stop for shifting the latter, a detent carried by said finger-piece, and a rack adapted to be engaged 1 by said detent, said rack having notches at aliquant intervals, to determine the line-spacing of the platen by corresponding aliquant movements of the platen. '8. In a typewriter, the combination with a frictional line-spacing mechanism, including an adjustable stop for varying the linespacing' throw of the platen, of an adjusting lever, and alink directly connecting the lever and stop, to permit the stop to be thrown to certain positions in its range of adjustment.

. 19, In a typewriter, the combination with aplaten, of a frictional line-spacing mechanism therefor, including a clutch element connected with the platen, and a cooperating lever-actuated clutch member for rotating the clutch element and platen, of an adjustable return stop with which the clutch member contacts when in normal position, an adjustment connected with the return stop, 3 and a second stop engaged by the clutch member forterminating the line spacing stroke of theplaten.

10, In a typewriter, the combination with a platen, a line-spacing mechanism comprising a wheel operatively connected with the platen, and having a clutching flange or rim, and a swinging carrier, of a clutching dog mounted to vibrate on the carrier, and having jaws, rolls loosely seated to turn in the respective jaws, to bite upon the flange or rim, and'a line-spacing lever for actuating the dog and carrier to rotate the wheel and platen.

11. In a typewriter, the combination with r a platen, of a line-spacing mechanism, including a clutch-element operatively connected with the platen, a'swinging carrier. a clutching dog, having jaws to bite upon the clutch element, the dog mounted to vibrate on the carrier, and having a stud received in a slot in the carrier, whereby to arrest the vibration ofthe dog relative to the carrier, and a spacing lever for actuating the dog and carrier to rotate the platen.

12. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen, of a line-spacing mechanism including a clutch element operatively connected with the platen, a swinging carrier, a clutching dog mounted to vibrate on the carrier, and having opposing jaws to bite on opposite sides of the clutch element,-a slide, and a link pivotally mounted on the slide, and engaging the clutching dog, to operate the latter and the carrier and effect a rotation of the platen.

13. In a typewriter, the combination with a platen, of a clutch element operatively connected therewith, a cooperating leveractuated clutch member for rotating the clutch element and platen, an adjustable stop controlling the line-spacing throw of the clutch member and platen, a regulating lever connected with the stop, a rackhaving notches located at irregular intervals, and a lever-carried detent engaging. the notches to releasably maintain the stop in adjusted position to eifect aliquant line-spacing intervals. 7

14. In a typewriter, the combination with a platen, of a line-spacing mechanism including a clutch element connected with the platen, a cooperating clutch member for rotating the clutch element and-platen, a linespacing lever for-actuating the clutch memher, a permanent stop in the path of movement of the clutch member, when actuated by the line-spacing lever, an adjustable stop with which the clutch member is engaged when at rest, and an arrest engaged by the line-spacing lever at the conclusion of its line-spacing stroke for relieving the clutch member from strain. p

15. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen, a clutch element connected therewith, a swinging clutch member cooperating with the clutch element to'effeet a line-spacing throw of the platen, and a line-spacing leverfor actuating the clutch member, of a shiftable return stop for controlling the line-spacing throw of the clutch member, means for adjusting the shiitable stop to eifect aliquant line-spacing intervals, a permanent stop in the path of the -'clutch member for terminating the linespacing throw of the latter, and an abutment engaged by the line-spacing lever immediately after the engagement of the clutch member with the permanent stop to prevent excessive strain on the line-spacing mechanism.

16. In a typewriter,'the combination with a platen, of a frictional line-spacing mechanism therefor, including a clutch element connected with the platen, and a cooperatoverthrow of the platen.

17. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen, of a line space mechanism for said platen, and means for. limiting the line-spacing movement of said mechanism definitely and quickly to throws corresponding to predetermined distances between lines, the spaces between the notches having an aliquant relation to each other. RICHARD W. UIILIG.

Witnesses:

JOHN O. SEIFERT, K. FRAnKroR'r. 

